峨眉
Chinese edit
lofty; name of a mountain | eyebrow; upper margin | ||
---|---|---|---|
trad. (峨眉) | 峨 | 眉 | |
simp. #(峨眉) | 峨 | 眉 | |
alternative forms | 峨嵋 峩嵋 |
Etymology edit
峨眉 derives from the word 蛾眉 (“the feathery feelers of a moth”), so named because the peaks of Mount Emei do in fact resemble the feelers of a moth (see pictures). The "insect" radical (虫) on the left side of the first character 蛾 was later replaced with the "mountain" radical (山). Thus, 蛾 eventually became 峨, so as to denote the mountain. Occasionally, the radical is placed on top: 峩. The "mountain" radical can be optionally added to the second character 眉. Both 峨嵋 and 峨眉 have been used through the centuries.
Pronunciation edit
Proper noun edit
峨眉
- (~山) Mount Emei
- (~鄉) Emei (a rural township in Hsinchu County, Taiwan)
- (~縣) (historical) Emei (a historical county of China; now Emeishan City, Sichuan)